Czech Ensemble Baroque will premiere a congratulatory opera by Antonio Caldara. Andreas Scholl, Adam Plachetka, Valer Sabadus, Hana Blažíkov,á and others will perform the roles of the planets singing the newly crowned Empress. The work was staged by conductor Roman Válek. After the Brno premiere, the opera will also be performed in the Spanish Hall of Prague Castle.
Court chaplain to Charles VI, Antonio Caldara, wrote a celebratory cantata for the coronation of Empress Elisabeth Christina in 1723. The imperial band and the singers, including the famous castrato Carestini, performed an extraordinary piece that today could be compared to a spectacular show.
“Even at the premiere, the roles giving glory to the planets were entrusted to the leading singers of their time. The extreme difficulty of the solo parts is perhaps one of the reasons why the work has not been performed much and has not been heard in this country at all since 1723. We managed to approach top singers who will be on the same stage for the first time in this setting, and we are extremely grateful to be working with such great artists,” says concert conductor Roman Válek.
The legendary countertenor Andreas Scholl will play the role of Jupiter, Saturn will be portrayed by the soloist of the Metropolitan Opera of New York Adam Plachetka, another star countertenor will be one of the most popular singers of the Baroque scene Valer Sabadus in the role of Apollo, the role of the warrior Mars has been entrusted by the conductor to the rising star Frank Klisovic, and the last male role, Mercury, will be played by the renowned Czech tenor Jaroslav Březina. The two goddesses will then be sung by soprano Hana Blažíková as Diana and Czech-French mezzo-soprano Dagmar Šašková as Venus.
“It is a great honour and a great commitment for me to introduce soloists of such quality to the great Brno audience. I believe that together we will experience an evening that in many ways will rank among the realm of dreams and barely attainable wishes,” invites conductor Válek. The concert will take place on Tuesday 7 February 2023 at 7:00 pm in the Besední dům.
HARMONY OF THE PLANETS | Concert of Baroque Stars
PROGRAMME A. Caldara: Concordia de' pianeti – concert performance of an opera
SOLOS: Valer Sabadus, Andreas Scholl, Adam Plachetka, Franko Klisovic, Hana Blažíková, Dagmar Šašková, Jaroslav Březina
Choir and orchestra: Czech Ensemble Baroque
Conductor: Roman Válek
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